1. In the minicamps, you can see an added something very important on defense — speed. That’s crucial to a 3-4 defense. Until the team can actually tackle in training camp and preseason, you can’t have a true reading on the defense. But minicamps do show speed, and the Browns have more of it.

2. Spending big money for Desmond Bryant and Paul Kruger along with giving coordinator Ray Horton a lucrative four-year deal was done to create a defense that can compete in the AFC North. They could’ve kept coordinator Dick Jauron and the 4-3, but the idea is the team can take a significant step forward with Horton’s attacking 3-4. That’s where the attention is, from the $75 million spent on Kruger and Bryant to linebacker Barkevious Mingo being the top draft pick.

3. The Browns had a heavy dose of Chris Gocong (2010-11), Scott Fujita (2010-11) and Kaluka Maiava (2009-12) at the outside linebacker spots. Once upon a time, Fujita had speed, but most of that was gone when he signed here.

4. There are four new outside LBs: Jabaal Sheard, Quenton Groves, Mingo and Kruger. All have above-average speed. The Browns have been extremely pleased with Sheard’s adjustment from a 4-3 end to outside linebacker. If the season opened tomorrow, Sheard and Kruger would start on the outside, with Mingo and Groves coming off the bench.

5. The Browns believe the defensive line also will have some quickness and a lot of depth. Bryant will be one defensive end with Ahtyba Rubin at the other end and Phil Taylor in the middle. Billy Winn has the quickness to play end, with John Hughes and Ishmaa’ily Kitchen as backups. Rubin and Bryant can play any of three spots on the line.

6. At inside linebacker, D’Qwell Jackson will start and Craig Robertson has impressed at the other spot after playing outside in the 4-3. Tank Carder and L.J. Fort are in the mix. James-Michael Johnson will battle for a roster spot.

7. Don’t be surprised if Horton uses a four-man front in some passing situations, with Sheard or Mingo at defensive end to pressure the passer. Jackson said the Browns have some interesting blitzes involving inside linebackers, something not done often when they played the 3-4 under Romeo Crennel and Eric Mangini.

8. They know the secondary is thin — only Joe Haden and T.J. Ward are established starters. They believe Chris Owens will be a pleasant surprise at corner, pushing rookie Leon McFadden for a starting spot. They think Buster Skrine can do a decent job on slot receivers, after having a hard time last season outside.

9. Ward will start at safety, with Tashaun Gipson and Johnson Bademosi battling for the other spot. Not sure who has the edge. Rookie Jamoris Slaughter is coming off Achilles surgery, and it’s hard to imagine him winning the job early in the season. He does hope to be physically ready for training camp. He wasn’t able to play in the minicamps.

10. I’m looking forward to what Horton does cook up. His Arizona defense was second in blitzes, using it 43 percent of the time. He has young players with fresh legs, and a front office that wants him to be daring.

About the Cavaliers...

View full sizeNew Cavaliers guard Jarrett Jack (working against San Antonio's Manu Ginobili in the Western Conference semis) brings offense and experience to the Cavaliers, says Terry Pluto.AP file

1. With the signing of Jarrett Jack to a 4-year, $25 million deal (fourth season a team option), the Cavs have slightly less than $15 million left on the salary cap. They are still shopping for a shooter — either small forward or guard. They also would like to add a big man with true center size.

2. Jack was near the top of their list. They also liked Darren Collison and Kyle Korver. For a while, it appeared Jack would sign elsewhere. The Cavs improved their offer early Saturday morning, and added a player who they believe can start if needed, but knows how to be the third guard, a role he played in Golden State behind Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. They believe he can do the same with Dion Waiters and Kyrie Irving. Jack averaged 12.9 points, shooting 45 percent from the field and 40 percent on 3-pointers.

3. While I liked Shaun Livingston, Jack is a major upgrade because of his scoring and ball-handling skills. Livingston signed a one-year deal with the Nets. Signing Jack gives Mike Brown an option when one of his young starting guards coasts on defense or fires up ill-advised shots on offense.

4. There are reports Marco Belinelli passed up a far more lucrative offer from the Cavs to sign with the Spurs, a $5.6 million deal over two years. It’s true, the Cavs offered significantly more money. It’s also true they offered more money to Mike Dunleavy than the $6 million deal for two years he took with the Bulls. In the end, they are happy with Jack.

5. Earl Clark’s deal is $8.5 million for two years. Only the first season ($4.25 million) is guaranteed. The second year is a team option. C.J. Miles also is coming back, with a team option ($2.25 million) that doesn’t become guaranteed until Jan. 1.

6. The Cavs want the 6-10 Clark to defend some of the taller small forwards such as Paul George, Luol Deng and LeBron James. They believe Clark can be an upgrade over Alonzo Gee. But they also know Clark is not a long-term answer at small forward.

7. The Cavs do think the frontcourt will have more scoring thanks to Anthony Bennett, the team’s top draft choice. The 6-8, 240-pounder will be used at power forward. Don’t be surprised if Tristan Thompson moves to center when there are backups (or smaller centers) facing the Cavs. Yes, they seem overloaded with power forwards/centers. They have five, because Clark can play power forward. The others are Anderson Varejao, Tyler Zeller, Bennett and Thompson. But Varejao has played only 81 games in the last three years and could be traded.

8. There are now some players coming off the bench who can deliver offense: Jack, Bennett and Miles. The team is very upbeat about Sergey Karasev, but they don’t want to put too much pressure immediately on the 6-7 Russian who is only 19. But they think he can develop into a scorer because he has played at a very high level in Europe.

About the Tribe starters...

View full sizeShort outings by Ubaldo Jimenez and others in the Tribe's starting rotation has put lots of pressure on the Indians' bullpen in recent weeks. Paul Sancya, Associated Press

Heading into the weekend, Justin Masterson had the most innings by an AL starter. He had a rough night in Friday’s 7-0 loss to Detroit, but has been pretty consistent this season. But after that, come Ubaldo Jimenez (No. 41), Corey Kluber (No. 53) and Scott Kazmir (No. 60) in innings pitched.

The bullpen has been rocky lately. Part of the problem is starters who often can’t deliver six decent innings. The bullpen is being forced into action too often.

A “quality start” is defined as pitching at least six innings, allowing three or fewer runs. The Tribe ranks 13th out of the 15 AL teams. I wondered how many Tribe starters make it through six innings, period — quality or not. Here’s a breakdown:

1. Masterson has done it in 16 of 19 starts.

2. Kluber is 7-of-13, but in his last three, he has been shelled for 14 earned runs in 15.1 innings.

3. Kazmir is 7-of-14.

4. Jimenez is 5-of-17. It has been seven starts since he’s thrown at least six innings.

The Tigers have 56 quality starts, the Tribe has 36. That’s a difference that can really matter in the second half as the games pile up and the bullpens wear down.

About Trevor Bauer...

View full sizeTrevor Bauer is a work in progress, and the Indians know that, says Terry Pluto.Paul Beaty, Associated Press

1. The Indians and Bauer both recognize his problem — control. In 17 innings with the Tribe, he walked 16. He walked 13 in 16 1/3 innings with Arizona last year. Out of the windup, his fastball tends to rise out of the strike zone. In the minors, hitters still swung at it. Not at the major-league level.

2. He was already re-working his windup in spring training. He believed the violent delivery he used at UCLA led to some leg and groin problems. The Indians agreed, and went along with Bauer’s decision to make his windup more compact. The hope was better control and fewer leg injuries.

3. Bauer arrived with a reputation of being stubborn. That’s part of the reason Arizona seemed glad to get rid of him. Yes, he says and does some strange things. It’s easy to write him off as a lost cause when he struggles. But Bauer is only 22. Most college pitchers are in Class AA or below at 22.

4. He had a disaster (five earned runs in 2/3 inning) for the Tribe when he decided to just throw out of the stretch. He did it again in his last start at Class AAA, allowing one run in six innings, three walks and a strikeout. His velocity was in the 91-94 mph range.

5. He is still working on his windup. The Tribe is giving him time to find a comfort zone, rather than just impose a certain type of windup on him. At Class AAA, Bauer is 4-2 with a 4.04 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 71 innings.

6. If Bauer had everything together, Arizona doesn’t trade him. He was the No. 3 pick in the 2011 draft who zoomed through the minors with a 13-4 record and 3.00 ERA to reach the majors after 25 starts.

7. Pitchers can drive you crazy. Corey Kluber has thrown hard for years. Only now, at the age of 27, has he started to figure out how to win. The Indians grew weary of waiting for Jeremy Guthrie, a top pick who threw 92-96 mph. He didn’t reach the majors until he was 25, but the Indians gave him only 38 innings over three years (6.08 ERA). Then, they placed him on waivers. Guthrie was 27 when it came together, and he’s been a respectable starter (62-83, 4.28), often on bad teams.

8. The Tribe will give Bauer plenty of time to work through his issues before demanding major changes. He can be very frustrating, but you could see his talent in some of his early starts this season.

About the Tribe farm system...

1. They thought there would be bullpen help in the system. They assumed Scott Barnes would be a lefty option, but he is 3-3 with a 7.81 ERA for the Clippers, and 7.21 with the Tribe. Nick Hagadone has been up and down six times. He has a 2.00 ERA with the Clippers, but is 5.23 with the Tribe. David Huff was waived, claimed by the Yankees and is pitching in Class AAA (0-3, 2.73).

2. At the end of spring training, the Tribe thought at least one of those three would find a regular spot in the bullpen. Rich Hill is the only lefty in the pen, with an ERA of 6.37. T.J. House is another lefty at Columbus, but he’s 1-9 with a 5.86 ERA.

3. The one Columbus reliever who may help is C.C. Lee, who has fanned six in 3 1/3 innings after opening the season at Class AA Akron. Lee was a hot prospect. He was 4-0 with a 2.27 ERA for the Clippers in 2011, and opened 2012 at 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA when he needed elbow surgery. Lee has 286 strikeouts in 234 minor-league innings.

4. As of now, there are no plans to put starter Danny Salazar (2-2, 3.86 ERA at Columbus) in the bullpen. Like Lee, he is a strikeout pitcher (41 in 37 innings) who is coming off elbow surgery.

5. One of the new bright lights is second baseman Joey Wendle, hitting .318 (.968 OPS) at Class A Carolina. He was drafted out of Division II West Chester. Also at Carolina, Tony Wolters is doing a decent job in his first year as a catcher, after moving from second base. He’s hitting .265 (.715 OPS). The 21-year-old was the third-round pick of the Tribe on 2010.

6. Top pick Clint Frazier is batting .440 (11-of-25) in rookie ball at Arizona. He has a homer and four extra-base hits. As of now, there is no rush to promote the 18-year-old to Mahoning Valley.

7. Francisco Lindor is batting .310 at Carolina, with one homer and 26 RBI. Tyler Naquin (2012 top pick) is batting .299 (.813 OPS) with six homers and 31 RBI at Carolina. He may soon move up to Class AA Akron.